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details, please see the
restrictions.

This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival
material held in the Wilson Library at the University of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are
physically available in our reading room, and not digitally available
through the World Wide Web. See the
Duplication Policy section for more information.

William LeGette Blythe (1900-1993), native of
Huntersville, N.C., was the author of several Biblical novels, award-winning biographies
of
prominent North Carolinians, and symphonic (outdoor) dramas based on the history of
Charlotte
and Mecklenburg County, N.C. Blythe graduated in 1921 from the University of North
Carolina in
Chapel Hill, where he was a member of the original Carolina Playmakers and a classmate
of Thomas
Wolfe. He died in Huntersville in 1993. The collection includes correspondence and other materials
relating to LeGette Blythe's literary and civic projects. Included are letters, promotional
material, and photographs, as well as audio and video recordings relating to outdoor
drama
productions and to Blythe's biographies of Thomas Wolfe; Mary T. Martin Sloop of the
Crossnore
School, Avery County, N.C.; Lucy Morgan of the Penland School, Penland, N.C.; and
Gaine Cannon
of the Albert Schweitzer Memorial Hospital in Balsam Grove, N.C. Major correspondents
include W.
H. Belk, Elizabeth Boatwright Coker, William Friday, Louis Rubin, Terry Sanford, and
Richard
Walser. There are also two letters dated March 1934 from Maxwell Perkins of Charles
Scribner's
Sons. Also present are materials relating to the North Carolina Writers Conference,
including
photographs of the conference's first meeting in 1950 and the 1953 meeting in Boone.
Manuscripts, galleys, and proofs of Blythe's works are included along with a small
amount of
materials and photographs collected by Blythe, including items, 1815-1861, relating
to the
Hopewell Presbyterian Church in Mecklenburg County. The Addition of May 2002 includes
audio and
video recordings collected by Blythe and photographs of Albert Schweitzer and his
hospital from
the 1960s; of the United States Army's 38th Evacuation Hospital during World War II;
and of
labor strikes in North Belmont, N.C., in the late 1920s. The Addition of 2006 includes
audio
recordings collected by Blythe as research for books, manuscripts and other projects.
Interviewees include Fred and Mabel Wolfe, siblings of Thomas Wolfe; Mary T. Martin
Sloop; James
W. Davis, Gaine Cannon II, and Lucy Morgan. Other recordings relate to LeGette Blythe's
works on
I. D. Blumenthal, E. H. Little, Walter L. Lingle, and Alcoholics Anonymous. Also included
are
interviews with prominent North Carolinians, including Colonel Thomas W. Ferrebee,
bombardier of
the
Enola Gay, and Senator Sam J. Ervin. The addition also contains
an interview with LeGette Blythe, recordings of the outdoor drama
Voice
in the Wilderness
, and the soundtrack for
The Hornet's
Nest
.

Use of audio or visual materials may require production of listening or viewing
copies.

Restrictions to Use

No usage restrictions.

Copyright Notice

Copyright is retained by the authors of items in these papers,or their descendants,
as
stipulated by United States copyright law.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], in the LeGette Blythe Papers (#4852), Southern Historical
Collection, Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Provenance

Received from William B. Blythe II in December 1996 (Acc. 96184), from Samuel L. Blythe
of
Winston-Salem, N.C., in May 2002 (Acc. 99258) and from John A. Blythe in February
2006 (Acc.
100323).

Sensitive Materials Statement

Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or
confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy
laws and regulations, the North Carolina Public Records Act (N.C.G.S. §
132 1 et seq.), and Article 7 of the North Carolina State Personnel Act (Privacy of
State Employee Personnel Records, N.C.G.S. § 126-22 et seq.).
Researchers are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to
identifiable living individuals represented in this collection without the consent
of those individuals may have legal ramifications (e.g., a cause of action under
common law for invasion of privacy may arise if facts concerning an individual's
private life are published that would be deemed highly offensive to a reasonable
person) for which the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill assumes no
responsibility.

The following terms from
Library of Congress Subject
Headings
suggest topics, persons, geography, etc. interspersed through the
entire collection; the terms do
not usually represent
discrete and easily identifiable portions of the collection--such as folders or
items.

Clicking on a subject heading below will take you into the University Library's
online catalog.

In 1921, William LeGette Blythe, native of Huntersville, N.C., graduated from the
University
of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he had been a member of the original Carolina
Playmakers
and a classmate of Thomas Wolfe. After graduation, Blythe became a reporter at the
Charlotte News and later joined the staff of the
Charlotte Observer. He authored several Biblical novels, biographies of prominent
North Carolinians, and symphonic dramas based on Charlotte and Mecklenburg County,
N.C. Blythe
won the Mayflower Award for the best nonfiction work by a North Carolinian in 1953
for
Miracle in the Hills, his biography of Dr. Mary T. Martin Sloop of the
Crossnore School, and in 1961 for
Thomas Wolfe and His Family.
Blythe died in 1993 in Huntersville.

This collection primarily documents North Carolina
author LeGette Blythe's literary
activities. Series 1 is chiefly correspondence between Blythe and his friends and
business associates regarding his various literary and civic projects. Early correspondence
includes two letters from Maxwell Perkins of Charles Scribner's Sons
Publishers dated 1934. The Project Files, created by Blythe, contain correspondence
with the
publishers of his works as well as with the subjects of some of his
biographies including Mary T. Martin Sloop of the Crossnore
School, Lucy Morgan of the Penland School,
and Dr. Gaine Cannon of the Albert Schweitzer Memorial
Hospital in Balsam Grove, N.C. There is also correspondence with
Fred Wolfe and Mabel Wolfe, the brother and sister of
Thomas Wolfe, regarding the writing and publishing of Blythe's book,
Thomas Wolfe and His Family. The series also contains
promotional material for Blythe's works and materials pertaining to his other projects,
such as
photographs from early North Carolina Writers Conferences. The writings
series encompasses manuscripts, galleys, and proofs of Blythe's novels,
symphonic dramas, and short stories. There are other
materials collected by LeGette Blythe including papers from the Hopewell
Church in Mecklenburg County, N.C., dated 1815-1861. Pictures
include photographs of Blythe, his family, and various other subjects.

The Addition of May 2002 parallels the contents described above, with the exception
that it
contains a substantial amount of audio and video recordings that were collected by
Blythe. The
contents of these recordings fall into two broad categories: materials related to
his works,
such as taped interviews or recordings of performances; and informal recordings of
music and
family members. Included are photographs of Albert Schweitzer and his
hospital that were taken by Gaine Cannon in the 1960s; of the United States
Army's 38th Evacuation Hospital taken during World War
II; and of labor strikes in North Belmont,
N.C., in the late 1920s.

The Addition of February 2006 includes audio recordings of interviews conducted by
LeGette
Blythe as research for several books and manuscripts. Interviewees include Fred Wolfe
and Mabel
Wolfe Wheaton, siblings of Thomas Wolfe; Mary M. Sloop; James W. Davis, Dr. Gaine
Cannon II, and
Lucy Morgan. Other recordings relate to LeGette Blythe works on I. D. Blumenthal,
E. H. Little,
Walter L. Lingle, and Alcoholics Anonymous. Also included are interviews with prominent
North
Carolinians, including Colonel Thomas W. Ferrebee, bombardier of the
Enola
Gay
, and Senator Sam J. Ervin. The addition also contains an interview with LeGette
Blythe, recordings of the outdoor drama
Voice in the Wilderness,
and the soundtrack for
The Hornet's Nest. Some recordings may be
duplicates of others in the collection. Several interviews were recorded on tapes
previously
containing material from the United States Office of Price Stabilization.

Chiefly correspondence between Blythe and his friends and business associates, mostly
regarding the project on which he was working. Early correspondence includes two letters
from
Maxwell Perkins of Charles Scribner's Sons
Publishers dated 1934. There is steady correspondence between Blythe and
Harry Shaw, his friend in the publishing business. Occasional
correspondents include W. H. Belk,
Elizabeth Boatwright Coker,
William Friday,
Louis Rubin,
Terry Sanford, and Richard Walser.

Folder 44

Folder 45

Processing note: See also Addition of May 2002 and Addition of February 2006.

Arrangement: alphabetical.

Files created by LeGette Blythe to organize the materials relating to his various
projects.
The series includes correspondence with the publishers of his works as well as with
the
subjects of some of his works, including Mary T. Martin Sloop of the
Crossnore School,
Lucy Morgan of the Penland School, and Dr.
Gaine Cannon of the Albert Schweitzer Memorial Hospital in
Balsam Grove, N.C. There is correspondence with Fred and Mabel
Wolfe, the brother and sister of Thomas Wolfe, regarding the
writing and publishing of Blythe's book
Thomas Wolfe and His
Family.
The series also contains promotional material, such as clippings and programs,
for Blythe's works. Along with materials regarding Blythe's writing, the series has
materials
relating to other projects, such as the celebration of Charlotte's Bicentennial, the
North Carolina Writers Conference, and the Andrew Johnson Celebration,
including a letter of thanks from Andrew Johnson's great-granddaughter. There are
pictures
relating to some of Blythe's works including
38th Evac, Gift from the Hills, Marshall Ney: A Dual Life, Meet Julius Abernethy, Mountain Doctor, Thomas Wolfe and His Family, and
Voice
in the Wilderness.
Finally, there are photographs from the first meeting of the
North Carolina Writers Conference in 1950 and the meeting in
Boone during 1953.

Processing note: See also Addition of May 2002 and Addition of February 2006.

Arrangement: alphabetical by subject.

Materials collected by LeGette Blythe, including manuscripts written by others, audio
cassette interviews of various individuals, and school papers from the classes he
took at
UNC during 1919-1921. The Hopewell Church Papers contain building plans,
subscription lists, a description of a plot of land, and other materials relating
to
Hopewell Church in Mecklenburg County along with an
letter dated 1861 from D. H. Hill to his cousin.

Chiefly correspondence between Blythe and his friends and business associates, mostly
regarding projects on which he was working. Blythe's correspondents in this addition
are
consistent with those in Series 1.

Files created by LeGette Blythe to organize the materials relating to his various
projects. The series includes correspondence with the publishers and subjects of his
works;
transcripts and audio recordings of interviews; articles and other research materials;
and
promotional material, such as clippings and programs, relating to the publication
of
individual works. There are two extensive scrapbooks relating to
Alexandriana and
Marshal Ney: A Dual Life.

Materials collected by LeGette Blythe, including works written by others, and audio
recordings of various individuals involved in his projects, family members, and music.
Also
included are a number of video recordings and a film of
Voice in the
Wilderness
.

Chiefly photographs that Blythe collected for projects. The series contains approximately
40 photographs of Albert Schweitzer and his hospital that were taken by Gaine Cannon,
M.D.,
in the 1960s; seven photographs of the United States Army's 38th Evacuation Hospital
taken
during World War II; two photographs of labor strikes in North
Belmont, N.C., taken in the late 1920s; and miscellaneous photographs of
Blythe.

Audio recordings of interviews conducted by LeGette Blythe while researching several
books
and manuscripts. Interview subjects include Fred Wolfe and Mabel Wolfe Wheaton, siblings
of
Thomas Wolfe; Mary T. Martin Sloop; James W. Davis, Gaine Cannon II, and Lucy Morgan.
Other
recordings relate to LeGette Blythe works on I. D. Blumenthal, E. H. Little, Walter
L.
Lingle, and Alcoholics Anonymous. Also included are interviews with prominent North
Carolinians, including Colonel Thomas W. Ferrebee, bombardier of the
Enola Gay, and Senator Sam J. Ervin. The addition also contains an interview with
LeGette Blythe, recordings of the outdoor drama
Voice in the
Wilderness
, and the soundtrack for
The Hornet's Nest.
Also included is a film of the outdoor drama
Voice in the
Wilderness
. Some material may be duplicates of items found elsewhere in the
collection. Several interviews were recorded on tapes previously containing material
from the
United States Office of Price Stabilization.

Interviews for an uncompleted work by Blythe. Subject may have been Harbor House,
a
chemical dependency treatment center tied to Alcoholics Anonymous in Memphis, Tenn.,
and
efforts in Greensboro, N.C., to build a similar facility.

Hazel Davis tells of Bert Davis high above river on I-beam. Claude Northern tells
of Bert
Davis's early days at Harbor House. Bert Davis talks to Claude Northern about the
Bible.
Hazel Davis talks of her daughter Pat and her father. Wally Clutz shares stories.

Calhoun talks of Farley Salmon's arrival at Harbor House and his first meeting with
Bert
Davis. Also discusses his education at Memphis State, getting to know Bert and Hazel
Davis,
traveling with the Davises to Panama City, Fla., and how Bert Davis "opened a lot of doors" to God.

The Broawleys talk of their son Jim in penal farm and other topics. Several Alcoholics
Anonymous members appraise Bert's importance. Billie Howard tells his life story,
which
includes periods in California, Pennsylvania, Oregon, and Texas. He also discusses
his time
in prison and speaks of Leavenworth, possibly the United States Penitentiary in
Leavenworth, Kans.

Meta Lewis tells of dyeing with onion skins, flowers, grasses, broom sedge, and other
items at Penland School of Crafts. There is also discussion of men coming to Penland
with
wives and a story about construction of the roof on the loom house.

Recordings related to
Miracle in the Hills, an
autobiography of Mary T. Martin Sloop for which Blythe served as co-author. Sloop
and her
husband, Eustace Sloop, started the Crossnore School in the mountains of Avery County,
N.C.,
in 1913. The school served children of western North Carolina and continues to operate
as a
residential childcare facility. The Sloops also provided medical care for residents
of the
region. Mary T. Martin Sloop was named American Mother of the Year in 1951.

Recordings feature Sloop, and possibly others, describing life at Crossnore and in
the
mountains of North Carolina in the first half of the 20th century. Recording types
include
wire, reel-to-reel, and audiocassette. Cassettes are an incomplete series of recordings
produced by the Sloop Progressive Memorial Fund in 1984 and titled
Sloop/Blythe Tapes. Tape numbers were assigned by the Sloop Progressive Memorial
Fund. Content on audiocassettes may be the same as found on recordings in other formats.
Content of the wire recordings was transferred to reel-to-reel in 1984.

Stories about the first operation at Plumtree; Uncle Newt, Aunt Nerv, and the clock;
the
golden wedding anniversary; Zeb Huskins, moonshiner and escape artist; and operations
on
African-American boy and white girl.

Some of material may be from interviews by Gladys Kahn Lavitan. Tape includes stories
about Obie Johnson, "Great Granddad;" Mary T. Martin
Sloop's story of Aunt Nerv, Uncle Newt, and the clock; and Uncle John Wise on his
death
bed.

Recording of symphonic drama written by Blythe and with music and words by Loonis
McGlohon. Songs included on recording are Overture, It's a Quiet Town, Montage (deleted
from drama), Shout Freedom! This Is the Day, Square Dance Cue, What Will The World
Be Like
Tomorrow and Misery Is The Life I Lead.

Blythe met Thomas Wolfe when both were undergraduates at the University of North Carolina.
The two were among the original Carolina Playmakers led by Frederick H. Koch and continued
their friendship after Wolfe moved to New York City. Blythe recorded interviews with
Wolfe's
brother Fred Wolfe and sister Mabel Wolfe Wheaton in preparation for the 1961 work
Thomas Wolfe and Family. Blythe co-wrote the book with Wheaton.

Arrangement: By tape number assigned by Blythe. Tapes 5, 9, and 11 are absent from
the
series.

Recordings related to Blythe's 1957 biography of Mary Wilson Gee. Gee was a Latin
professor and Dean of Students at Converse College in Converse, S.C. Tapes were numbered
by
Blythe and may be recordings of him reading the manuscript of
Yes
Ma'am, Miss Gee
.

Recorded interviews conducted by Blythe either in preparation for writing projects
or as
part of an effort by the University of North Carolina at Charlotte to collect oral
histories
from notable North Carolinians. Those interviewed include I. D. Blumenthal, the founder
of
Radiator Specialty Company and a philanthropist; Gaine Cannon, a doctor at the Albert
Schweitzer Memorial Hospital in Balsam Grove, N.C., and the subject of Blythe's book
Mountain Doctor; James W. Davis, the subject of Blythe's book
James W. Davis: North Carolina Surgeon; Sam J. Ervin, a
United States senator from North Carolina and chair of the Select Committee on Presidential
Campaign Activities, commonly known as the Watergate Committee; Thomas W. Ferebee,
a native
of Mocksville, N.C., and the bombardier on the
Enola Gay, the
airplane that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan; Walter H. Lingle, a former
president of Davidson College; and E. H. Little, a native of Huntersville, N.C., and
a
former president and chair of the board of Colgate-Palmolive Company. This series
also
includes an interview with Blythe and a broadcaster's salute to Blythe and his wife
Esther
on their 42nd wedding anniversary.

Ty Boyd's salute to LeGette and Esther Blythe on their 42nd wedding anniversary, 30
May
1968. Tape also includes a speech (possibly a sermon) to Mecklenburg Presbytery in
January
1956. Speaker may not be Blythe.